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hammered dulcimer

Find a Music Mentor

When the Student is Ready...

FIND A MUSIC MENTOR

by Linda Ratcliff

I would love for every person who wants to learn to play the dulcimer to have a private teacher … someone they meet with every week or at least twice a month. But that just isn’t possible for many (most?) of us. But here’s another option. Find a music mentor.

So you might be saying, “What on earth is a music mentor?” Well, here are some basics.

  • A musician who lives or plays near where you live
  • Someone whose skills and techniques you admire
  • A person w…

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Is EGO Holding You Back?

LegoMyEgo

When I think about “ego,” I imagine a person who is arrogant, and thinks he/she is better than the rest of us. We tend to think of a person with a big ego is someone who feels superior to us in some way. However, in my case (and maybe in yours as well), my ego tells me I’m inadequate, that I’m not good enough, and I’ll never be good enough. And that kind of attitude can hold a person back, keep them from where they want to go in their musical journey.

Here’s a few ways the negative side of ego …

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How to Fix "I CAN'T"

ICant

I think I’ve told you before, I get pretty nervous when I perform. Now I did OK at the craft mall and the Butterfly Palace in Branson where I played 6 to 8 hours a day. While I was playing, people were walking around, and only a few sat down and really focused their undivided attention on what I was doing. But put me in front of a crowd to do a solo and my hammers start shaking.

This goes back to my childhood. My grandmother was a concert pianist who even played for Queen Elizabeth. My mother…

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Sandouri (Greek Hammered Dulcimer)

Sandouri-PanilotisKargougous

Thanks to Jim Frye for finding this rare treasure!

Panayiotis Sousamlis (Karkougous) was the Santouri player for the soundtrack of the early 1960s movie Zorba the Greek

Nikos Theodosakis found this video with commentary of him playing.

Santuri from Nikos Theodosakis on Vimeo.

"Found footage of Panayiotis Sousamlis (Karkougous) playing the santuri, that I recorded in 1982 in his shop in the village of Agiasos, Lesbos.

With some thoughts.

It was that scene in the movie Zorba the Greek that…

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Loose Change

LooseChange

Did you know that the total amount of loose change scooped up by TSA officials at airports in 2019, before the pandemic, was an impressive $926,030.44. Unclaimed money is deposited into a special account where it can be tracked easily and Section 44945 of title 49, United States Code, grants the TSA budget authority to spend it. On September 30, 2019, the TSA had $3,618,696 available from loose change alone! (I could use some of that!) 

I like loose change, and I’m not too proud to pick up coi…

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Deadlines Work

DeadlinesWork

Nothing motivates me more than a deadline. If there is an upcoming performance, I get to work. When I was taking piano lessons, over the last couple of days before my next lesson … I’d get to work for real. When I am preparing to go to a jam session or workshop, I tune my instruments and … yep, start limbering up the fingers.

It’s just a true fact of life, deadlines motivate musicians to practice. So how can we make deadlines work FOR us instead of AGAINST us?

  • Break down your musical proj…

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What Can I Learn from a Concert?

stevevidon-01-jpeg

It is an interesting phenomenon.

Public performance is how many of us "discover" dulcimers, or the style of music that catches our fancy.  Sometimes this sows the seeds of "I've gotta learn how to do this for myself!" or "I've got to get an instrument" or "I've got to get a teacher" and "I've got to share this music, this instrument, what I've learned, with other people."

Yes I hear this observation from many people who host and organize dulcimer festivals:

"We are so surprised at the number …

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Are You Stuck?

CarStuckinSnow

If you live in one of the northern states, this time of year getting stuck in the snow is a real concern. If you’re retired, you just stay home when there’s a fresh snowfall that the city hasn’t yet cleared. But if you have a job, you have to get out in it anyway. And sometimes you get stuck.

The same can happen with your music. Let me ask you a few questions.

  • Are you satisfied with the pace of your progress?
  • Do you have a clear understanding of what you should be practicing next?
  • Do you…

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Harder Than You Thought?

Have you ever looked at the tab for a new tune and thought, “Now that doesn’t look so hard.” Then when you started trying to work through the piece, you discovered it was harder than you thought.

Yep, that’s happened to me too. I think I’m quite nimble with my hammers, and they get all tangled up trying to strike the right strings at times when I’m learning a new piece.

Then should I do? Do I just wad up the paper with my tabs or sheet music and throw it in the trash? OR, should I stick with…

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Baaaaaad Habits

Lamb

Here are some true facts about baaaaad habits.

  • You can play your dulcimer alone or along with others … in spite of bad habits.

  • You can get compliments from people about your dulcimer playing … in spite of bad habits.

  • You can reach some of your goals … in spite of bad habits.

However, when you play your dulcimer with bad habits, you are moving toward an invisible brick wall. Eventually, you’re going to be stopped in your tracks. I’m not making this up. You’re not going to be able to continue advancin…

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